Healthy Day Partners Collaboration Helps Nourish Neighbors Facing Hunger
Community Resource Center’s (CRC) Food & Nutrition Center is stocked with food rescued from local partners, including grocery stores and organizations working to alleviate food insecurity. One of these collaborations is with Healthy Day Partners. Together we share a commitment to nourishing and healing people and our planet.
Our partnership with Healthy Day Partners began in 2020, a time when the pandemic led many to rethink food access and security. Mim Michelove, CEO and president of Healthy Day Partners, spearheaded efforts to address food shortages. This led to the creation of the “Grab and Grow Gardens,” empowering our program participants to grow their own food and enhancing their self-sufficiency and resilience.
“At Healthy Day Partners, we encourage and empower people to turn their garden excess into healthy food access. Every donation of herbs, fruit, citrus – really any seasonal produce – supports a hyperlocal food system where neighbors help neighbors, food is grown where and when it’s needed, and ending local hunger becomes accessible to everyone in the community.“
Mim Michelove, CEO and president of Healthy Day Partners
Healthy Day Partners collects and delivers fresh produce at their Homegrown Hunger Relief donation stations. Community members can donate their homegrown produce at seven coolers, located throughout Encinitas and Carlsbad. This fresh produce is then delivered to CRC’s food pantry.
Recently, Healthy Day Partners developed a new Homegrown Hunger Relief Garden initiative to bring additional fresh produce to households in need who come to CRC’s Food & Nutrition Center. Located in Carlsbad, the garden features 13 raised beds dedicated to growing healthy food for households facing food insecurity who visit CRC’s pantry. Mim Michelove shares: “Each bed represents an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of those experiencing food insecurity in our community.”
Thank you to Healthy Day Partners for helping make sure everyone in our community has access to the food they need to thrive.
Food Rescue
CRC’s Food Rescue Initiative helps turn surplus into sustenance and Healthy Day Partners is an important part of the process:
- Food that would otherwise go to waste is donated
- Items are picked up by our truck or donated directly to our pantry
- Volunteers sort and stock food at our pantry
- Households in need select food at our pantry
Annually, our Food & Nutrition Center distributes over 505,000 pounds of rescued food, serving an average of 570 households each month, including families, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Get Involved
Here are ways you can contribute to sustaining and expanding Healthy Day Partners’ efforts:
- Volunteer: Assist in garden maintenance to ensure the garden beds continue to flourish.
- Donate: Donate your homegrown produce at one of Healthy Day Partners’ donation stations. CRC also welcomes food donations and drives.
- Spread the Word: Encourage friends and family to donate to the Homegrown Hunger Relief program!
- Host a Station: Healthy Day Partners is seeking a community partner in Cardiff to host a Homegrown Hunger Relief donation station. To get involved, please contact them here.
